The Lion Monument Commemorative Plaque, 2018
Resource ID
6394
Access
Open
Address
2001 Lake Shore Blvd W, Toronto, ON M6K 1L4
Credit Line
Heritage Toronto
Date of Creation
2018
Historical Themes
Program Category
Rights
Heritage Toronto
Time Period
Caption
The Lion Monument Commemorative Plaque, 2018
Description
This Art Deco monument marked the east entrance to the Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW), the first controlled-access highway in Canada. Its namesake, Queen Elizabeth, opened the highway in 1939 with her husband, King George VI. The lion monument was designed to symbolize the British Empire by architect William Lyon Somerville and sculptor Frances Loring. The sculptor Florence Wyle helped model the crown and the royal profiles. The Province of Ontario moved the monument here in 1974 when the QEW was widened. In 1989, Queen Elizabeth, who was by then the Queen Mother, returned to rededicate the highway.
Marker lat / long: 43.633154, -79.470386 (WGS84)